THE ‘SUMMER SKY’ LOOK! SILKY BLUES WITH RICH GOLDS

This is part 2 of the

Made By XDF Spring Summer 2021 Capsule Project.

The Made By XDF Spring Summer 2021 Capsule Project consists of 4 different looks I have designed and sewn in order to bring you fresh style inspiration for this time of year…

Enjoy!Xx

In this post I’d like to share the latest outfit I sewed. Before I started this project I realised that so far on this blog I’ve only shown outfits in black and white. My wardrobe’s colour palette is quite basic as it mainly consists of minimalist vibes and a few earthy tones. I find myself shopping for a lot of staples, and not enough exciting statement pieces. In light of this, I designed a silky baby blue co-ord, with fun criss cross detailing. This is quite different to what I’d usually wear as it has elements that could be considered as extra, or too much. I may be biased because I designed and put this together from scratch, but I really love this outfit. Rather than playing it safe with familiar shapes and cuts, I am loving the challenge of creating fresh unique visuals.

Let’s dive into this fit by looking at the top first! In my design I had sketched a halter neck style top with an open circle centre and ruched fabric around it. This stops it from being plain and empty as it creates a nice texture across the chest area. The halter neck style also nicely pulls the top up causing a pretty upside down ‘v’ shape to form. The shapes incorporated in this top contrast from the typical look of a normal bandeau crop top. These elements enable it to be more of a statement fun piece, rather than a boring staple. It is perfect for summer as it does not cover up and suffocate your skin in the hot weather! It is perfectly freeing; this type of attire is a summer night go-to.

I like my initial design idea for the reasons I mentioned above. However, as I was wearing it I felt a little bit restricted around my neck. You may be thinking “what did you expect Desola? You literally made a halter neck top”, but in my defence, I was focused on the aesthetic and not the practicality! We all know the phrase ‘pretty hurts’ very well (thanks Bey), but in the hot weather all you want to do is be comfortable as you’re already fighting back the feelings of being agitated under the sun. If you’re like me and you are not a big fan of all the heat this season has to offer, then I know you’ll appreciate how I changed this top to be more easy and hassle free. I dropped the tie around my neck to allow it to be free and tied it in a different way that is equally pretty to my initial design.

As you can see, the shaped details from the first design has not magically disappeared. Although it does cover the circle and upside down v, it creates a slight sense of mystery – it will show or stay a bit hidden depending on the angles I move in. The shapes are arguably more enhanced with this new long bow draping over. In fact, it ties in well with the loose bows at the end of my skirt, and compliments the criss cross laced sides of it too. It seems like bows are a stagnant motif in all my creations. Quick story time: when I was younger, around 10 or 11, I was obsessed with bows. In all of my sketches I’d somehow incorporate a bow in the look. When I made clothes for my dolls, I’d create a fat bow headband for them. More notably, I created bow hair clips from craft foam sheets I bought from my local HobbyCraft, and distributed it out (I only had one ‘customer’ but I was loving it). In the process of creating this co-ord it just felt natural to put these bows there, so I did it!

Here you can see how the bow from the top and skirt work nicely together. To achieve this in the skirt, I made a long blue ‘rope’ that I weaved into the golden grommets. Whilst putting the fit together, I realised that I hammered too many grommets into place – the rope wasn’t long enough to go through each one and leave enough at the end to be tied into a bow. So I missed out a hole as I was weaving the rope in. This turned out better than I imagined as it left gaps that helped to enhanced the criss cross effect I hoped to achieve.

I love this statement aspect of the skirt! I sewed this skirt without any zips to allow for a smooth undisturbed surface on the front and the back (and because I haven’t quite yet mastered how to sew an invisible zip). To put it on I simply expand the sides and then tighten it to match my preference. In the first image of this post you’ll see how I didn’t make it too tight so I could sit more around my hips. But here you’ll see how I tightened it more so its higher on my waist. Also, the skirt creates nice ruches that match the ones around the centre of my top! The intensity of these ruches can be changed depending on how the rope is tightened.

The most typical complimentary tone for blue is silver. I remember for prom I wore a long royal blue maxi dress, and I was advised to wear a silver bag and jewellery but I opted for gold instead. I am so glad I did this because I discovered how nicely these colours go together, on dark skin especially. The gold from the grommets, bag and jewellery accentuates the golden tones in my skin and it compliments the richness promoted by the blue silk.

I know I’ve said it many times already in this post, but I’m in love with this look. It is simple in the sense that it is not over-accessorised and over complicated, but it is not simple in its design. The shapes and detail allow it to transcend from a basic bandeau and mini skirt; it is a fun and bright set that captures the essence of a summer sky – a beautiful silky blue with warm streams of rich gold sun. I’m obsessed!

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this outfit I created! Xx See you on my next post where I talk about the makeup I wore in this look!x

-XDESFAN